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It's Meals on Wheels in Québec! Camille Ross speaks to the President of Meals on Wheels in Quebec Marjorie Northrup, about the Meals on Wheels week, their challenges and how we can help. Watch the video.

The Volunteer Food Services of the Central Office is part of the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal. It is at the center of a network including Meals on Wheels groups and Lunch Clubs for seniors which take benefit of a variety of support services.

The Volunteer Food Services Central Office is a program of the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal.

Central Office staff are responsible for the development and promotion of its associated network of Meals on Wheels groups and Lunch Clubs. This includes offering support services to existing groups and helping set up new ones as well as promoting and representing the movement.

The Central Office also provides liaison between volunteers and institutions such as CLSCs and hospitals. It receives the names of new clients, refers them to the appropriate group and maintains records of groups and clients as well as waiting lists. The Central Office's liaison person also acts as an intermediary between community workers, volunteers and clients on matters such as clients' needs and state of health, cancellations, complaints, etc.

A variety of services

Volunteers handle all aspects of the service, offering home delivery of hot meals twice a week. In certain districts, less mobile clients can receive Meals on Wheels up to six days a week.

Lunch Clubs:

From 20 to 100 people have lunch together and participate in social activities. Transportation is offered by some groups.

Outings:

Working with local restaurants or supermarkets, some groups organize weekly outings for their clients.

Intergenerational projects:

Some services use mostly young volunteers in order to stimulate interaction between young people and seniors.

Frozen meals:

Some groups offer frozen meals as a supplement to hot meal delivery.

Cultural communities:

A number of Meals on Wheels and Lunch Club services are based in various Montreal cultural communities.

Other services:

The Central Office is always ready to work with other partners in the community to develop new service models. For more information, call the Volunteer Food Services Central Office at the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal, 514.842.3351 and ask for mnorthrup [at] cabm [dot] net (Marjorie Northrup), Coordinator of Volunteer Food Services.

Do you have a few hours to give?

There are many ways to volunteer with Meals on Wheels : group leaders, cooks, kitchen helpers, drivers, delivery people and administrative and clerical help are always needed. The volunteer decides how much time she or he will give: some people like a once-a-week activity, others prefer a less frequent commitment.